The Washington Post reports that a DC Superior Court judge yesterday extended the start date for time-and-distance meters in the Districts 6,500 caps to May 1 due to a technicality. The mayor had previously ordered the change in October after being directed by the US Congress to switch to meters unless the mayor issued an executive order leaving the zone system intact. The District is one of the only cities in the US to continue using zone-based fares instead of time-and-distance meters. Read the full story here…

I published a Google Maps mashup in January (view at washingtonpost.com/taxifares/) that allows a consumer-focused price comparison between the two systems . Enter your own route or try a sample route. See the route plotted on a map and calculate your savings (or loss). The map markers can be repositioned interactively if you don’t know a street address but do know a location.

I will blog about that mashup next week and describe some of the tracking statistics that show an overwhelming number of trips costing less for most consumers (which is why taxi drivers have struck several times now in protest).